Changes I introduced made Bafana tick – Broos reflects after Afcon exit

Despite missing out on the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) final after losing to Nigeria in the semifinal on Wednesday, Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos is proud of the amount of work he has done with the senior national team since he took over.

Broos guided Bafana to the Afcon semifinal before losing to the Super Eagles 4-2 on penalties on Wednesday at Stade Bouake, missing out on a chance to reach the final after the match finished 1-1.

Bafana will face DR Congo on Saturday in the third playoff match at Stade Felix in Ivory Coast at 10pm.

Broos, who was appointed as Bafana coach in 2021, said he had to change many things at the national team to perform the way they are doing and wants to build on their performance from the Afcon going forward.

"When I came to SA, first of all, I was a little bit surprised that there were so many old players in the team," Broos told the media during the post-match press conference.

"So, that means we had to change, and I had a lot of critics... I took players not only from the big teams but also from the small clubs.

"But it needed some time, and it was nearly one year before we found what we wanted to have. From that time, it got better, we qualified for Afcon, and we started to play good games.

"But we also changed the style of SA football. We tried to play more direct, more vertical. We tried to have more movement in the team, and I think we succeeded.

"When you see us play today, there is a lot of movement in the team. A lot of depth. A lot of vertical passes, and we defend well. Tactically, I think we progressed also, and it means we did a very good job. It's a pity that we are not in the final."

The Belgian coach felt his side deserved to play in the final and rued the missed chances they had in the game against Nigeria before going on to lose in penalties.

"Football can be hard; when you see the performance of my team today [Wednesday] and then there are penalties and you lose the game, you are not in the final, it's hard to accept that," he said.

"Because we played a very good game. I think we were the best team in the first half, we had the best chances. Nigeria didn't have anything, nothing.

"Second half, maybe they had chances, and they could score, but we changed something tactical, but two minutes before the end of 90 minutes, we had three chances and if we scored there, we could be going to the final.

"That can happen in football. It is a big disappointment for everyone because we feel like we played a very good game. Not only today, but we played a very good Afcon. I'm proud of my players for what they did and performed not only today and I have to be proud as a coach."